Thursday 29 October 2009

TVB Series 2009

It's October already but TVB hasn't really hit the mark with very few memorable series, of course Beyond the Realm of Conscience and Born Rich are going to be two contenders for the best TVB series of 2009 but has there been that many worthy of mention beforehand? Let's see...

Technically "When Easterly Showers Fall on the Sunny West" is in contention for the 2009 award as it was aired late last year (along with The Gem of Life). Sadly this series ain't going to garner any awards - at least it shouldn't! With average ratings never above 30 points and a long and difficult name to remember it hasn't left a mark in my memory. The cast looked decent with Charmaine Sheh, Joe Ma and Liza Wang as well as Selena Li but sadly it was aired at the wrong time which made it difficult to gather momentum. The two things I remember about this series are Joe Ma and Selena Li's characters besides that I can't really conjure up that much from this series. Liza Wang will inevitably be listed under the Top 15 Nomination list for best actress - she has to or she'll kill TVB, but this series will not be helping Joe Ma with a nomination whilst Charmaine Sheh has better rated series under her belt.

Pages of Treasure, well, well! This series received rock bottom ratings, I don't remember seeing 24 points since "Always Ready". Maybe this series would have benefited if it was aired mid year in order to reap Chai Gau's name. The thing I remember about this series was the shove down your throat ideology that everything is changing to technology. It also changed my view of Lily Ho (a failed Miss HK contestant) she was quite natural in her performance which is in stark contrast with the crazy mess of herself at Miss Hong Kong 2007. Anyway this series will be one that Wayne Lai would rather forget about whilst Sonija Kwok will have DIE Again to gain a nomination spot.

The Gem of Life was just WAY TOO LONG! An eighty-two episode series is just way too intimidating at the start of the year. One of the main problems I felt with this series besides its length was the number of characters. This series would have benefited much more if it was only about the three sisters therefore cutting at least 1/3 of the characters. I don't think I watched every episode but I think that wasn't necessary. The main crippling factor to its ratings was the length and it being at the start of the year. Condensing this series to 40 episodes and releasing it in May may have made this a real contender for awards. I'll be utterly shocked if this series doesn't get at least 4 nominations in the number of categories (I expect Adai Choi to be nominated and possibly Bowe Lam, Linda Chung and maybe Maggie Siu) as it was an expensive and highly anticipated series - I don't think TVB would like the public to forget about it just yet!

This series was basically catering for children, I think TVB wanted to achieve the success of Ten Brothers. However how could you take this series seriously when you have a cross dressing actor playing the mother of Louisa So and the story revolving around Winter melons! Undoubtedly this series had its funny moments providing a come back for Liu Kai Chi as well as having Rain Lau who is always funny to watch but this series ain't going to win any awards.

E.U. will inevitably be a series which will remain in peoples minds because of Laughing Gor and the movie it spawned however personally I'm not a fan. I found it interesting also that Ron Ng was in two of the biggest series this year but nobody remembers him! Talk about wasting opportunities! Anyway I have to say I don't remember much from this series besides Michael Miu killing Kathy Chow and how Michael Miu was so unwilling to trust anyone - but I have to clear this out, I think Michael Miu is a weak actor maybe it's the botox in the eyes because his eyes are just stiff, no emotion! Michael Tse performed well but I didn't think it was worth the uproar it received. However it was an ok series and it showed that Kathy Chow was still a decent actress and this can be further seen in "In the Chamber of Bliss".

Joyce Tang was not enough for me to pay attention to this series, I probably watched two hours worth of this series in total because I'm not the least bit interested in snooker, I don't like Adam Cheng's acting, Niki Chow isn't enough of a pull as a leading actress and I don't like Patrick Tang (his exclusion from the main poster baffles me). What I know is this series won't be garneing any awards.

"Man In Charge" is a light hearted watch and not all that bad! The acting was average but you'd come to expect that from this kind of series however it's not all that bad. Is it going to win awards - no, but it kept me interested enough to watch it and stay tuned! Though the acting and plot left much to be desired it managed somehow to maintain my attention.

"Rosy Business" is this years IT series. It managed to get sky high ratings and a plethora of fans. I myself was hooked on this series and found it compulsive viewing tbh. It wasn't glamorously cast neither do I think that TVB would have expected such success but decent acting with a good amount of memorable lines made it an instant hit with viewers. If you ask me why I like this drama I honestly wouldn't know how to explain it, I just can't put my finger on it, but an unconventional storyline (to modern TVB series anyway) and decent acting may have been the key to its success.

An easily forgettable series in my opinion which I found difficult to sink into. A shame considering Jessica is one of my favourite actresses. I remember the awkward storyline of Sunny Chan being a bastard and Jessica Hsuan finding her true father but besides that the biggest memory I have of this series was a shove down your throat theme of law.

Yet another series from TVB that wasn't all that bad yet not all that great either, this year TVB has just made too many forgettable series and this is one of the many in the long list. I'll always like Tavia Yeung's acting as I'm a fan and tbh the acting wasn't that bad it was just the forgettable plot. I remember Raymond Wong being some sort of ill person but I have no memory of what Steven Ma's character did.

Another weird series! Louisa So makes it 2 out of 2! Anyway I found this series an awkward watch but tbh I really don't remember much of it even though I watched it 2 months ago! I found it weird that Chin Kar Lok was the lead in this series as he has only been lead once before.

"You're Hired" isn't a great series but you'll find yourself watching anyway. I personally don't like Dayo Wong's acting, he's only good at comedy so therefore I found his serious acting to be a bit lackluster compared to his funny scenes. I did however like Charmaine Sheh's character and portrayal. I also didn't like the halfway split which basically happened when Michael Tse's side of the story came in. However this series was a compulsive watch even though I found very little to compliment it on.

Haven't watched it and I have no intention of watching it because, 1) it's about the Immigration Department - has TVB run out of professions to focus on! 2) Never been a fan of Roger Kwok 3)PATRICK TANG AGAIN! 4)Not only Patrick Tang but Toby Leung on top of that! It did receive good ratings though but I just don't find myself watching this series at all.

In my honest opinion Burning Flame III is overated and in some respects boring! I liked the start of the series but I found myself losing interest fast! The lame ending also ignited my anger over this series. Personally I didn't like Wong Hei or Kevin Cheng in this series, Bosco was OK as his character as it brought some fun to the series but all in all I felt utterly dissapointed by this series.

I never understood the "cult" following of D.I.E. as it had weak acting and a weak plot and DIE Again confirms that. I've never been a fan of Roger Kwok and Sonija Kwok's acting I find stiff. The lame plot and more than predictable cases made this series a weak one even with the adorable 3 babies!

The Greatness of A Hero will not be competiting for awards as it never aired in Hong Kong but as I watched it I'll add it to my list. I couldn't really remember much of note. What I did remember was the unexpected and random killing off of Sunny Chan's character which had no build up or purpose and that basically describes the latter half of the series.

I'm currently watching "The Stew of Life". It's not a bad series nor is it great, it has a modern vibe to it though it isn't fresh in that respect, it does try to break some boundaries in Hong Kong TV though by having Fala in her underwear and the explicit mention (for Hong Kong anyway) of the possible homosexual ongoings of some of the characters. However this series will not be a contender for awards. It's a light hearted watch which I don't really mind but I wouldn't really recommend it either.

"In the Chamber of Bliss" is another series currently airing in the UK. I have no interest in the background story or Damian Lau, the only thing keeping me on my sofa is Kathy Chow. I'll see if my opinion changes later on.

I guess I should mention "Off Peddar" if I was to have a comprehensive list of this years series but I haven't watch that much of this series. However it seems OK and I guess a decent series.

I'll post my nominations for awards later on so stay tuned!

ANTM 13 Episode 9

BOOO!!!!! WHY IS BRITTANY OUT!
Brittany is decent, just because shes had two mediocre weeks doesn't mean she should be eliminated when Miss Gap Kids is still in!

Here's my opinion on the Top 6.

Nicole - the best, definitely should win and with Tyra's new groove of choosing the predictable girl (e.g. Cycle 11 Mckey, Cycle 12 Teyona) I think she has the best chance of winning.

Jennifer - I love her, I don't like the awful comments she gets from netizens. By no means is she my favourite model but I'd love to see more of her.

Laura - Like Jennifer I think she isn't the best model but quite a lot of you would beg to differ. However I'm beginning to like her a lot so I wouldn't mind her staying - as long as she doesn't kick off Nicole!

Erin - Personally I think Erin and Nicole are better models left. Erin's look just screams model, she just needs to work on her personality. I know she's annoying but you can't deny her model potential.

Sundai - I use to like her but now as she's getting further and further into the competition whilst other more worthy models are falling I've begun to dislike her. Now she's borderline annoying and very underserving. Her photos are the same week on week and even at her best I found her photo to be amateurish this week.

Brittany - Brittany had the mix of being generally liked by viewers, having model potential and having a decent personality so I dont understand why she was eliminated this week. I'm so dissapointed she has gone! If Sundai isn't out next week I don't know what I'll do as the other 4 are decent (even though I've rarely liked Laura's photos)

This week my photo rankings are...
Nicole - WOW
Jennifer - Some people don't like this but I do, I may be a fan of Jennifer's but I'm not really a fan of her photos so I'm not being biased here.
Erin - Some may find this shot boring but I find it more emotive than the three photos below.
Brittany - I understand where she's coming from, it's average but not the worst.
Laura - I like it but it doesn't make any sense to me, why the pose, why the look and why everything?
Sundai - The shot looks amateurish, she looks like a 12 year old and she's doing the same thing over and over again in all her shots.

Thursday 22 October 2009

Antm 13 Episode 8

I've been succesful in predicting Ashley and Kara's elimination but this week I slipped up, though Rae was on my list of possibles.

Erin provided me with a funny moment this week - Erin said that Nicole was socially inept whilst she herself was more relatable - lol!

It's annoying that ANTM is trying to overdramatise anything nowadays. Yes it's awful that Laura has dyslexia but so many people have it nowadays - people learn and move on from it it's not that bad compared to being raped like Rae! Come on ANTM at least play the sympathy card on the right case.

Anyway, moving on to something less depressing... (or possibly more!) Why were Kim and Bre suddenly mentioned this week? What have they done post ANTM? I don't live in America so I don't know if they're are D-list celebs or what not.

Interviews
Jennifer - She was decent
Sundai - Her blank face was funny
Laura - At least she carried on.
Erin - She was decent but she looked weird.
Brittany - you can see her thinking/scanning
Rae - seemed a bit weird.
Nicole - She looked crazy. But she provided comic relief, however instead of asking her if she had kids she should have asked if she wanted kids, at least that'd be different and somewhat interesting (personal life questions without being too personal).

Commerical
Jennifer - It was really good, the eye thing was a bit weird and the head tilting was a bit over annoying but overall it was relatable and natural.
Laura - She was awkward but not that bad, her smile was a bit fake as well.
Brittany - Stiff but an OK performance.
Nicole - This is really good as well, BRAVO!
Rae - She was really nervous and stiff.
Sundai - Her voice is really annoying.
Erin - She need to smile (but of course she was crying), at times she had it but most of the times her emotions took over.

Best to worst
Jennifer
Nicole
Brittany
Laura
Sundai
Erin
Rae

So here's my favourites ranking

Nicole and Jennifer
Erin, Brittany, Laura
Sundai, Rae

Nicole - She is quirky, beautiful, intelligent, kind and just uber cool! lol! She even aced the commercials, how can she be denied! She's a McKey but better in every way - photos/personality/interview/look.

Jennifer - Love her charisma and personality. She's also ASIAN! If only she didn't have her eye thing and of course she needs to photograph with her mouth closed sometimes.

Erin - I don't really like her attitude but I'm putting her in my 2nd group basically because she's pretty! - I'm so lame!

Brittany - Quirky but pretty yet really intelligent! She's real and I like that - she's not overly nice nor is she nasty.

Laura - I finally like her! I think I didn't like her that much at the start because I didn't like her look but now I'm fine with it.

Sundai - She's starting to annoy me, especially since she's in the Top 6 when she doesn't deserve to be.

Rae - I like Rae and I sympathise with her but she is a bit too bland for me to remember her.

I don't want to predict the Top 6 because besides Sundai I'm actually quite confused to what is going to happen.

Sunday 18 October 2009

Strictly Come Dancing 5th Dance

Best of the Night
This goes to Jade and Ian, Jade was exceptionally graceful and elegant so how could you deny her from getting such a great score.

Worst of the Night
Sadly this goes to Joe and Kristina again.

Overrated
Natalie and Vincent receive this award because I felt that their Vienesse Waltz was one of the worst of the night but they still scored decently.

Underrated
Chris and Ola, I remember giving them overrated a few weeks back but anyway I think the judges were too harsh on them.

One to watch out for
Jade and Ian - they finally look like contenders for the title.

I was shocked when Zoe and James were in the bottom 2, they were 3rd on the leaderboard! I'd thought they'd have a good base of fans but I guess not as she must have scored the fewest votes to land at bottom 2. Well at least it meant Joe and Kristina were definitely out - to my shock as I thought Joe's fans would save him for another week. Anyway Craig has to go next!

Sunday 11 October 2009

Strictly Come Dancing Week 4

Overrated
Sadly it's Zoe and James again! I like Zoe but I didn't think her Foxtrot was worth 33.

Underrated
Jade and Ian possibly had one of the best Salsa's of the night but she was only given 29? That's even more weird when you consider the generally positive feedback she got. Just to say, Jo and Brendan nearly got this from me again but I reconsidered as this would have been the 4th time in a row!

Best of the Night
I still think Ricky and Natalie were the best. Ricky's dance was a showdance and had very clever choreography - he's still the best dancer in the competition.

Worst of the Night
Joe and Kristina - though he's improved he still seems a bit dead!

One to watch out for
Who would have guess Laila and Anton to top the leaderboard! I'm so happy for her as Laila and Anton are like one of my favourite couples.

Sadly Lynda left over Craig? Why did Bruno and Len save Craig? I don't dislike Craig but I like Lynda more! And personally I think Lynda's a better dancer! Well the laggers behind and the top of the pack are well and truly formed now. Ricky, Zoe, Laila and Ali are the Top 4. Jade is a close 5th but she'll have to fight for it against Natalie. Chris and Ricky finish the top 8. The weakest are Joe, Jo, Craig and Phil at the moment. I think the Top 6 are going to all finish in the Top 6 whilst the other 6 may well finish in different orders.

Friday 9 October 2009

Svalbard
Spain
United States of America
Antarctica
South Georgia
Falkland Islands

Bolivia
Peru
Ecuador
Colombia
Venezuela
Guyana
Suriname
French Guiana
Brazil
Paraguay
Uruguay
Argentina
Chile
Greenland
Canada
United States of America
United States of America

Israel
Jordan
Cyprus
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
Oman
Yemen
Saudia Arabia
Iraq
Afghanistan
Turkmenistan
Iran
Syria
Singapore
China
Mongolia
Papua New Guinea

Brunei
Indonesia

Malaysia
Malaysia
Tiawan
Philippines
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Thailand
Burma
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
India
Bhutan
Nepal

Pakistan
Afghanistan
Turkmenistan
Tajikistan
Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan
Japan
North Korea
South Korea
Russia
Kazakhstan
Russia
Montenegro
Portugal
Azerbaijan
Armenia
Georgia

Ukraine
Moldova
Belarus
Romania
Bulgaria
Macedonia
Serbia
Bosonia & Herzegovina
Turkey
Greece
Albania
Croatia
Hungary
Slovakia
Slovenia
Malta
Spain

Portugal
Spain
France
Italy
Italy
Austria
Switzerland
Belgium
France
Ireland
United Kingdom
Norway
Sweden
Finland
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania

Russia
Poland
Czech Republic
Germany
Denmark
The Netherlands
Iceland
El Salvador
Guatemala
Panama
Costa Rica
Nicaragua
Honduras
Belize
Mexico
Trinidad & Tobago
Puerto Rico

Dominican Republic
Haiti
Jamaica
The Bahamas
Cuba
Vanuatu

Australia
Solomon Islands
Fiji
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Djibouti
Somalia
Kenya

Uganda
Tanzania
Rwanda
Burundi
Madagascar
Namibia
Botswana
South Africa
Lesotho
Swaziland
Zimbabwe
Mozambique
Malawi
Zambia
Angola
Democratic Repbulic of Congo
Republic of Congo

Gabon
Equatorial Guinea
Central African Republic
Cameroon
Nigeria

Togo
Ghana
Burkina Fassu
Cote d'Ivoire
Liberia
Sierra Leone
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
The Gambia
Senegal
Mali

Mauritania
Niger
Western Sahara
Sudan
Chad
Egypt
Libya
Tunisia
Morocco
Algeria




Map Legend: 21%, 57 of 263 Territories

Yellow
Maroon




AfghanistanAngolaBangladeshBurmaBeninSolomon IslandsBhutanBurundiCanadaCambodiaChadCongo, Democratic Republic of theComorosCentral African RepublicCape VerdeDjiboutiEquatorial GuineaEritreaEthiopiaFranceGambia, TheGermanyGuineaHaitiItalyJapanKiribatiLaosLiberiaLesothoMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMaldivesMozambiqueNigerVanuatuNepalGuinea-BissauRwandaSenegalSierra LeoneSomaliaSudanTogoSao Tome and PrincipeEast TimorTuvaluTanzaniaUgandaUnited KingdomUnited StatesBurkina FasoSamoaYemenZambia